While I appreciate the important work that District Attorney Michael O’Keefe and his office do to prosecute criminals on the Cape and Islands (“Mandatory minimums play a role in criminal justice system,” Letters, Dec. 29), I must interject a dose of reality into the conversation about mandatory-minimum sentencing in the Commonwealth.

After Bostonians overwhelmingly voted for the Community Preservation Act, a small property tax increase aimed at improving neighborhoods, a new battle is taking shape — over the committee that will decide how that nearly $20 million in new revenue will be spent.

State senators Thursday called for bold criminal justice reform on issues ranging from repealing mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug crimes, to restricting the use of solitary confinement, to offering more services for offenders suffering from drug addiction.

More than two dozen groups representing Massachusetts hospitals, nonprofits, labor unions, and other organizations are urging Governor Charlie Baker to oppose any federal policy changes that could threaten Medicaid coverage for thousands of poor and disabled people across the state.

At Passover Seders, symbolic foods bring alive the story of the Jews’ exodus from bondage in ancient Egypt. Bitter herbs are a reminder of suffering. Charoset — a paste of fruit, wine, nuts, and spices — recalls the mortar used in slaves’ labor. Unleavened matzo, the haste of their departure

Old South Church has put a price on sunlight: $19 million. That’s how much the historic Copley Square church wants developer Boston Properties to pay as compensation for shadows a planned tower at Back Bay Station would cast on the 142-year-old church, potentially causing moisture damage to masonry and darkening stained-glass windows.